1996 UNESCO  classifies the Canal du Midi on the list of the sites  of  "World Heritage" 1997  it was the turn of the City of Carcassonne to receive this distinction.

It is in Carcassonne that two large axes of circulation used since the antiquity cross: from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and from the  Massif Central to Spain.

The city is composed of two quite distinct parts. The City occupies a plane on the right bank of the Aude. The Saint-Louis Country house extends on the left bank. The old district of Trivalle and the famous Pont Vieux are since this time, the bonds which link their destiny.

Carcassonne inherited 2000 years of history and invites you to discover her inheritance of remarkable monuments. The latter has a double circle of defence which extends on 3km. The interior  wall equipped with 26 turrets, with the imposing Narbonnese Door, follows the layout of the roman ramparts mainly. The base of the walls, whose masonry dates from the early middle ages, is reinforced by crenels in the 13^th century, at the time of the construction of the external wall. The 19 turrets are open inside to prevent a possible enemy from taking shelter.

The historical city of Carcassonne is an excellent example of a fortified medieval city whose enormous defensive system was built on ramparts dating from the end of the Antiquity. It owes its exceptional importance to the work of restoration undertaken during the second half of the 19^th century by Viollet-le-Duc and which unfluenced the evolution of the principles and the practices of conservation.